As The World Dies | Book 4 | After Siege

by Frater, Rhiannon

  Taking a bite of her hamburger, Emma savored every flavor dancing over her tongue. “Were you forgiven for forgetting to tell them goodbye this morning?”

  Letting out a chuckle, Juan shook his head. “Jason reamed me out. Who would’ve thought a fifteen-year-old could make you feel like so much shit?”

  “I hear teenagers are good at that.”

  A part of her heart ached at the thought that she would never know Billy at fifteen. She’d only been a mother for a short period of time in the grand scheme of things. It had been a rewarding experience. A little piece of her was envious of Juan. He had four children. Maybe they weren’t his by birth, but they were his by love.

  Hooking his thumb behind his belt buckle and leaning back on the bench, Juan wore a guilty expression. “The kid was pissed. All I could do was stand there and take it because he was right. He even had the decency to wait until the little ones were napping this afternoon and then he let me have it. Both barrels. Not holding back one bit. I know he was Jenni’s stepson, but I swear I saw her fire in him.”

  “So what did you say?” Emma asked.

  “I admitted I was an asshole, begged for forgiveness, and promised to never do it again. And I meant it. Jason was definitely right. I should’ve told him. Maybe the young ones didn’t need to know, but as the oldest he certainly did. He’s a tough kid and he deserves my respect. My mom said when I took on this role that it wasn’t going to be easy, and she was definitely right. But I love those kids. I will do right by them in the future.”

  She couldn’t help but think of her own parents abandoning her. “Honestly, that puts you ahead of a lot of asshole parents. The fact that you are willing to listen to your kids and do what needs to be done to give them assurance says a lot. I know you’re new at the job, but you are a great dad for being willing to learn.”

  “Thanks, Em,” Juan replied somberly. “I may have bitten off more than I can chew with Jason, but that kid is pretty awesome. I’ll do my best to be a good father to him.”

  “That’s why you will be a good father.”

  “Still, man, that hurt.”

  Emma ate a few more bites of the hamburger and the overly salty fries. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in a Whataburger, but she doubted that meal had tasted this good. Juan sat beside her in silence, observing the first stars appearing overhead. She got the impression he wanted to talk to her about something, but he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

  When she was down to her last fry, he twisted his body toward her so he could face her. She mentally steeled herself for what might come next and shoved a fry into her mouth.

  “Emma, I don’t know where to start, so I’ll just babble incoherently until you tell me to shut up.”

  Chewing slowly, Emma nodded.

  “My cousin was right earlier. I was trying to fix the past by saving Belinda. I knew I couldn’t, but the compulsion was so strong. It took over me, made me stupid, and I almost got you killed. That’s been bugging the shit out of me all day.”

  “You apologized. I forgave you.”

  “Yeah, but I almost got you killed because I was desperate to somehow prove myself.”

  “To Belinda?”

  Juan shook his head.

  “To Jenni?”

  “No, no. To myself. Monica was right. I wanted to save Belinda to prove to myself that I could’ve saved Jenni if I had been there and not laid up with a gunshot wound. Instead, I proved what a dumb shit I am because I couldn’t see that what I have right now is what’s important.”

  “Your kids.”

  “Yeah, my kids. My friends. Travis and Katie’s beautiful baby that will call me Uncle One, ‘cause you know the baby will hear my kids calling me Daddy One. The damn dog and his smelly ass farts.” Juan’s green eyes flicked away from her face. “A chance to get to know you.”

  Emma deliberately took another bite.

  “We don’t know each other well yet, but I feel like we should…uh…maybe…uh…date.”

  Swallowing, Emma croaked out, “Date?”

  “Yeah. That thing normal people do to figure out if they like each other enough to do…more.”

  The handsome man was sweating so hard one droplet was gliding down the bridge of his nose.

  Remembering her earlier conversations with Macy and Katie, Emma struggled with the idea of taking a chance at allowing the emptiness inside her heart to be filled again. Yet, if she was going to live, it would have to be a life worth living.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Cool. Cool,” Juan said, obviously relieved. “Great. Awesome. Though I’m not sure how you date in the zombie apocalypse.”

  “Go kill zombies together?”

  “Then we already had a first date!”

  “Or maybe it’s just sitting here for a while.”

  Juan grinned at her while she took another bite of her hamburger. “Okay. That sounds great.”

  So that was what they did.

  They were interrupted an hour later.

  “Fort meeting! Lobby in five minutes!” a teenager’s voice called out.

  A second later, the girl appeared near the memorial. “Fort meeting! Five minutes!”

  “We’ll be there, Shelley,” Juan called.

  With a nod, the girl dashed off.

  “Does this happen a lot?” Emma asked.

  Looking somber, Juan nodded. “When shit’s about to go down.”

  “So something is up?”

  Nervously running his hands through his messy curls, Juan grimaced. “I knew the Fort meeting was going to happen. It was actually a big reason I wanted to talk to you at dinner. When you weren’t there, I came looking for you because I wanted to have a moment of peace before shit got real. Again.”

  “Oh?” “After we were certain that there is a cause for concern, Travis decided to share some news with everyone tonight.”

  It now made sense why Travis and Katie had come downstairs with Bryce. It was a way of softening the coming blow.

  “Is this about Ed’s group?”

  Folding his arms over his chest, Juan nodded. “There was more than one group that left. One was led by a woman named Mary. A real hellfire and brimstone type. She was convinced we were being punished with the horde because we had gay people in the Fort. When she and her people left, they formed what they called the Baptist Encampment. Though between you and me, her vision of being a Baptist ain’t one I’m familiar with.”

  “Like those Westboro people?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So Ed’s group went to the Baptist Encampment?”

  “No, Ed’s group was heading northwest and got turned back by armed militia-types. Kurt said they had the road blocked off and were heavily armed with military-grade weapons. According to Belinda, who was in Ed’s Durango, they wouldn’t let Ed’s group through the blockade. Ed told them about the horde, but the man in charge didn’t give a shit. He sent them back the way they’d come, which is why they ended up running into the horde. They lost half their people right away. Ed got bit while trying to run with Belinda from his overrun vehicle to the one Kurt was driving. When they realized they were heading right for the main part of the horde, they took refuge on top of that hill.”

  “Shit. So why didn’t they let them through the barricade?”

  “This is the kicker, Em. The guy in charge was Mary’s son, Jonathan. Jon was Special Ops overseas and got kicked out for killing civilians. He claimed it was an accident, but his own guys turned him in, saying he did it ‘cause he liked it. Apparently, he’d been doing it on the sly and his guys had had it with him. Said Jon wanted to kill Muslims for Jesus, or some such bullshit.”

  Emma winced. “I’m pretty sure Jesus was a pacifist.”

  “That’s what my bible says too, but it don’t matter with Mary and her type. Worse yet, word around town was that Jon was always a sociopath. A bully at heart, power hungry. His dishonorable discharge and the local rumors are why they wouldn�
�t hire him to be a deputy sheriff when he applied. He had a real beef about that. If I recall correctly, that’s when he went off a joined some militia group out in West Texas.”

  A knot formed in her gut. “So Mary and her son Jon are a threat, aren’t they?”

  Juan shrugged. “We don’t know. All we know is that when Jon turned back Ed’s group, he told them they couldn’t escape God’s wrath. That they had to go back and pay for their sins.”

  “Because Mary thought the horde would destroy the Fort.”

  “Right.”

  “But it didn’t.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So if the horde didn’t inflict God’s wrath on the Fort than maybe they’ll take God’s judgment into their own hands.”

  “That’s a possibility. And since it’s a possibility-”

  “The Fort needs to be ready.”

  “Exactly.”

  Emma took his hand in hers to discover they were both trembling. Now it was clear why Juan had chosen to approach her. Perhaps the Fort wasn’t as safe as they thought and time was of the essence. She wasn’t about to lose her new chance at life and community and would fight to defend it.

  “So then we’ll be ready, won’t we?” Emma said, her voice cold steel.

  Pride lingered in Juan’s eyes as he smiled at her, obviously pleased with her reaction. “Yes, we will.”

  “Plus, y’all got something on your side you didn’t have before,” Emma said, lifting her chin with confidence.

  “What’s that?”

  “A gawddamn fearless zombie killer.”

  Turn the page to find out more about the author and her books!

  Also by Rhiannon Frater

  Rhiannon Frater writes in many genres across many different series! Click or tap on the banners below to find out more about each of her books!

  The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde. Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies until they find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town.

  Mackenzie must face her worse fears after stumbling through a hidden doorway into the dead spots, where dreams become reality, terror knows your name, and nightmares can kill you. As the true horrors of the dead spots are slowly revealed, Mackenzie realizes that time is running out. But exits from the dead spots are nearly impossible to find, and defended by things almost beyond imagination.

  "The Handmaiden's Tale Meets The Walking Dead"

  Ilyse hides her growing power from the religious leaders that condemned her mother. If she’s discovered, she’ll lose her life. The arrival of a mysterious young man only complicates matters when his mere presence further awakens her powers and the realization that to survive she must escape the high walls of the Atonement Settlement.

  Vanora is torn between the man she loves and the man who would destroy the world to claim her. Can she escape the power of an ancient prophecy, or will she succumb?

  At the end of the world, The Bastion is humanity’s only hope. The massive city shelters the last survivors from the Inferi Scourge howling outside its towering walls. Explore the last city of the living from its inception in Escape to the Last Bastion to the desperate missions in the sequels to reclaim what was lost when the world was overtaken from the dead.

  Can a 12 year-old boy lead his friends to safety when zombies invade his school? A gripping horror tale for zombie fans of ALL AGES!

  It is silence, not screams of terror, which proclaims the end of the world…

  Minji Nordin is vacationing in Las Vegas with her small family when she witnesses the beginning of a terrifying apocalypse. When humanity is transformed into mindless drones by a horrific supernatural event only Minji appears to be immune and it’s up to her to save her family and the world.

  For best friends Christy and Adam—a witch and a gay young man—life hasn’t been easy. To remedy this, Christy casts a love spell to try and bring Adam’s true love. But has she brought Adam’s first boyfriend to Trinity Springs, or a monster?

  Amaliya is not your conventional heroine. But when a bastard kills her and buries her in a forest grave, she wakes with a serious case of "I need to kick some ass" along with a brand new lust for blood.

  “Violence, sensuality, tense conflict and intense drama roll at full speed against the backdrop of romantic Old Europe from the first page to the very end. Frater’s novel has managed to be almost everything to every vampire fan, a feat not easily pulled off.” – Dark Markets review, The Tale of the Vampire Bride

  About the Author

  Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor) as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living (declared the #1 Zombie Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the Decade by B&N Book Blog). She was born and raised in Texas where she currently resides with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets). She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.

  You can visit her online at

  www.rhiannonfrater.com

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